LuLuLemon Athletica narrows its hunt for an e-commerce chief

By Kevin WoodwardSenior Editor

The retailer says it’s in the final offer stages with a candidate.

Yoga apparel retailer LuLuLemon Athletica Inc. could select its next head of global e-commerce soon, four months after its former senior vice president of global e-commerce, Chris Ladd, left to join another retailer.

The company is in the “final offer stages with a new head of global e-commerce,” said Christine M. Day, CEO and president, during a recent conference call with analysts to discuss LuLuLemon’s fourth quarter and 2011 results. LuLuLemon declined to disclose more details.

Having an e-commerce chief will be crucial for LuLuLemon, No. 229 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, as e-commerce gains importance for the company. For example, e-commerce sales have represented 11% of the company’s sales since the launch of a redesigned LuLuLemon site last April, Day said during the call. “To put this achievement into perspective, in the fourth quarter alone, we did $50 million in e-commerce sales compared to $57 million for the full year in 2010,” Day said.